Rubber finger stall toothbrush



a. G. STEVENS RUBBER FINGER STALL TOOTHBRUSH Oct. 29, 1935.

vFiled DSC. 8, 1954 Patented oet. 29, 193s A UNITED STATES PATENT o1-*FICE 'me mvenuen relates te s rubber anger eten tooth brush'oi'the' type disclosed and claimed in APatent No. 1,965,009, issued July 3, 1934.

An important object of the present invention is I to providea linger stall tooth brush of the aforesaid type which is provided with enclosing side walls or a cap inclined with respect to the base so as to permit thedevice to be easily and quickly applied to the linger. v

Another object of the invention is thel provision o! a n nger receiving opening having its edges inclined forwardly and upwardly from the basetopermit thefingertobeeasilyand readily insertedintheopening.

Another object is to provide a pull-on" tab which is made of the same material as the linger encasing cap, but slightly thicker., tapering -in thickness from the open end toward the closed end and projecting a predetermined distance beyond the upper edge ot the inclined enclosing wall of the device. l

i A nimmerV object or the invention 1s to'provicev a one-piece or ilnger'stalltooth brush made of softilexible gum rubber which is provided witha reinforcing end about theoufer edge .s

of the material surrounding the opening. which is constructed and arranged to have the appearance of a conventional tooth brush. which is providedwith means for permitting quick and ready 4application of thedevice to a nnger, and which is durable in construction and not likely to tear or disintegrate during ordinary use, which can be readily'and easily cleansed and maintained sanitary, and which'may have uthe mold seam ot the device at the center ot thel upper longitudinal rib or whereby the body westen strengthensthesidewallso! the stallan'dmakes thedevice rnoredurable. 'Numerous other obiects and advantages will be apparent throughout the progress of the following`speciiication;

The accompnylns drawing illustrates a selected embodiment of theinvention fand the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a' detail perspectivemiew of improved gum' rubber ringer stall tooth brush.

Fig.2isatopplanviewthereof. Flg.- 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

Fig. 4 isatransverse sectional viewon the lineV vl--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a' longitudinal sectionalview through a modified form oi -ilnger stall tooth brush.

Fig. f6 is a detail end elevation o! both forms. The finger stall or cot l herein showngis provided with a bOdy Portion 1 made 4of relatively thin yieldable 4stretchable material such as pure'.

Vgum rubber and 'a supporting base portion 8 which may be made of the same material but which is relatively thick and not as freely stretchable as thethinner body portion. The forward 5 end of the device may be substantially vertical as indicated at 9 to give Athe device the appearance of a conventional tooth brush. Spaced ribs Il! and II encircle the device to render it more durable as well as to give itia more pleasing appear- 10 ance and accentuate the appearance of a tooth brush. The body portion 1, the base 8 and the plurality oi-upstandingteeth I2 are all-integral.

being molded in one piece from pure gum rubber. The base 8 is made concave as indicated at I3 to lli permit ones linger to be easily inserted within the enclosed iinger receiving opening. The material surrounding the opening I4 inclines upwardly and forwardly from the base as indicated at 'l5 and is strengthened by a rubber rib I 6. 'I'he rub- 20 ber rib or beading I6 extendsv around the opening of the stall and provides a constriction or'contraction of the opening so that when the :linger is inserted in the stall; the dev ic 'is held moresecurely onthe nger because the rib at the edge 25 oi' the opening-is'maderelatively more tightly on the iinger than are theside walls o1' the stall. This beading has a similar contraction or tension 5to a draw-string around the end oiv the opening despite the fact that the area of the opening is larger due to the slantingl thereof. A pull-onreinforced ta'b I1 extends from the forward'end I I of the device and increases in thickness toward its rear open end I! 'projecting a predetermined distance beyond the upper inclinedsidevwalls I5 35 as lindicated at III. The pull-on tab and rein.

' forcement permits of easier insertion of the ilnger.

The pull-on tab can be given a relatively hard pull without tearing the vsame because ofits reinforced thickness and because of the beading ex- 40 tending around the end. Theslanting of the opening. permits easy access to the nger end of -the' stall'and makes it possible to use the end 2| o i' the base as a pull-on forthe stall also; The

slanting openingalso makes possible freer use of the'nger in manipulation of the device upon the gu'ms and teeth. The combination of the vpullontab and the slanting opening makes it easy to nt the stall over the end of the nnger quickly andi easily without injuring the device in any way. I

The headings I0 and II running lengthwise of the brush lgive'the device the iinished mechanical appearance o! a standard toothbrush. These also emphasize the tapering eiect of the brush. sivlng it a delicate appearance for insertion into' the oral cavity when applied to a finger.

The rubber papill I2 are spaced apart in rows, and transversely the bristles assume a somewhat arcuate arrangement to perform better the gum massaging operation for which the devicev is primarily intended.

1f desirable, the base 8 may be extended a predetermined distance beyond the inside edge 22 as indicated at 23, Fig. 5, to provide a device with a more tapered end and provide a longer base. Such a construction, with a more distinct taper, enables the user to reach the back area of the gums more readily. This construction is also convenient for massaging the gums far back into the mouth.

The invention provides a strong, durable, easily applied finger stall tooth brush having soft flexible teeth or papill for massaging the gums. The slanting opening at one end of the device permits a finger to be readily slipped into the opening, also permits the pull-on tab to extend beyond an edge of the upper part of the opening to assist in applying' the device to a finger. The pull-on tab is thicker progressively from the closed end toward the open end and has a bead thereon whereby it is practically impossible to tear the device during ordinary usage when applying it on a. finger. The finger stall tooth brush in reality provides a tooth gum brush designed primarily for'massaging the gums to stimulate circulation and harden the muscular fibres of the gum structure. The various elements constituting the device are constructed and arranged so that the gum massaging operation can be most conveniently performed. Also, the device is so constructed as to givel it a neat appearance so that practically and psychologically it will be easy to insert in the oral cavity and use upon the entire gum surface. Furthermore, it is vpreferable that thedevice be made of a material assuring theutmostsanitation, being preferably made from pure gum rubber. The device is small, compact,` can be readily applied and removed 'from a finger, takes up very littleroom and can bethoroughly and easily cleansed.

Changes maybe made-.in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any ofits advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all vsuch changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

'I'he invention is.A hereby claimed as follows:

1. A one-'piece finger stall tooth brush made of flexible rubber-like material and having a base. teeth projecting from ,the base, a closed end and having a finger receiving opening, the material surrounding the opening forming-a rib and being inclined upwardly and AYforwardlyi'rom the rear portion ofthe base to permit easy insertion of a finger into the opening. A

2. A one-piece finger stall tooth brush made f flexible rubber-like material and having a base, teeth projecting from the base, a closed end and having a finger receiving opening, the material surrounding the opening forming a rib and being inclined upwardly and forwardly from the base to permiteasy insertion of a finger into the `site the closed end thereof,

' jecting end of rubber-like material and having open end.

opening, and a pull-on tab of flexible material extending substantially the full length of the brush and extending a predetermined distance beyond the inclined edges surrounding the opening.

3. A one-piece finger stall tooth brush made of flexible rubber-like material and having a base, teeth projecting from the base, a closed end and having a finger receiving opening, the material surrounding the opening forming a rib i0 and being inclined upwardly and forwardly from the base topermit easy insertion of a finger into the opening, a pull-on tab of flexible material extending substantially the full length of the brush and extending a predetermined distance beyond l5 the inclined edges ,surrounding the opening, and longitudinal reinforcing members extending about the device and around the opening and lntegral with the pull-on tab.

4. A one-piece finger stall tooth brush made of 20 rubber-like material and `having a base, an integral closure extending from said base having one end closed with a vfinger receiving opening oppoflexible rubber teeth extending from said base, the closure at the open il end thereof having its edges inclined upwardly and forwardly from said base to permit ready access of a finger in said opening, a pull-on tab integral with the closure at the upper side thereof and extending a predetermined distance beyond $4 the upper free edge of the closure at the open end thereof, said receiving opening being provided with a contracting rib portion for holding the tooth brush in position.

5. A one-piece finger stall, gum manipulator l made of rubber-like material and having a base, an integral closure extending from said base having one end closed with a nger' receiving opening opposite the closed end thereof, vexible rubber teeth extending fr'om said base, the closure 4 at the open end thereof having its edges inclined upwardly and forwardly from said base to per-' mit ready access of a finger in said opening, a

pull-on tab integral with the closure at the upper side thereof and extending a predetermined dis- 4 tance beyond the upper free edge of the closure at the open end thereof, longitudinal ribs extending about the brush, and an additional bead extending about the opening and the pro-- said tab, said receiving opening] being provided with a rib to permit easy appli-` cation and removal of the manipulator. l

6. A one-piece finger stall tooth brush made of a base. an ln tegral closure extending from said base having one end closed with a finger receiving opening Eopposite the closed end thereof,.fiexible rubber papill extending from said base, the closure at'- the'open endthereof having its edges' inclined upwardly and forwardly from said base to permit ready access of `a finger in said opening, apull-on tab integral with the closure at the upper side thereof and extending a predetermined distance beyond the upper free edge of the closure' .at the open end thereof, said pull-on tab increasing in thickness from the closed end toward the aonnarcx G. STEVENS. 

